A/N: I'm alive!

Eva narrating: "Rick Thunderbolt's terrible accident in the first race was a shock for everyone. After Adam's, our second pilot, 'crash' we had no one to pilot the Arrow II

Adam: "You will win this whole thing, all you need is a chance. And I'm giving it to you"

Eva narrating: "Except for me. Molly, the team's black sheep. It was a chance to show Don Wei, our manager, otherwise known as my dad, what I was made of"

Don: "It was a great race"

Eva narrating: "Don Wei doesn't know that I'm really his daughter Eva. But maybe he'll love me as the pilot Molly"

*Adam POV*

'Eva will not take this lightly...' I observe Stan installing the standard pilot seat in Arrow II 'Hope it's not for me...'

Eva: "Rise and shine! We've got a lot to do today!"

'Yup, it will be bad...' Eva exits the elevator while me and Koji enter the room

Eva: "Good morning, Koji. Hey, Adam. How is my Arrow doing today" Me and Koji exchange a nervous look

Adam: "Well... Star..."

Koji: "Uh, it's... good. Stan is just finishing one last little upgrade"

Eva: "Terrific. I know it's going to be a great day" She exits the room and I follow her to the balcony. She leans on the rails "There she is. What upgrade did you guys get her, Adam?"

Adam: "You see... it was our main task from Don... yeah"

Eva: "Good to hea-huh? What?" she looks over the rails to see Stan lifting up the standard seat back to the cockpit "Hey! Stan, what are you doing?" Stan stops working and looks at her "You know that seat's too big for me!"

???: "But it's perfect for me" We turn around to see Rick all healthy

Eva: "Rick! You're back..."

Rick: "Yeah, those Alwas doctors have technology that far surpasses our own. So I heard that you and Adam kept my seat warm"

Eva: "It was nothing..."

Adam: "It was all Molly, I crashed during the test runs" I awkwardly scrap my neck

Rick: "Modesty's for losers" he ruffles Eva's hair "Thanks, little mouse. I can't wait to hear all about it"

Eva: "Can't wait to tell you..." then Jordan comes running from around the corner

Jordan: "RICK!" he grabs Rick's waist, circling around him once before hugging him tightly "Oh, man, Rick, it's so good to have you back! We really missed you around here!" Rick tries to push Jordan away

Rick: "Hey! No hugging! Doctor's orders"

Eva: "I guess I'll let you two catch up. I need to find someone" she grabs my arm "And you're coming with me, mister"

Adam: "Am I in trouble?"

Eva: "It depends" we get down and outside the hanger "Did you know about Rick?"

Adan: "Nope. I thought that either Don was gonna pilot or me, and you know how that would end" she sighs

Fifteen minutes later we get ready to start the testing. Rick gets the Arrow near the pound while me, Koji and Stan check the systems while Don stands next to us, observing

Stan: "We're all set, guys" I turn around to see an angry Eva storming towards us

Eva: "Hey, you!" Don ignores her "Why didn't you tell me Rick was coming back? Huh?"

Don: "This is not the time, young lady" Eva groans

Eva: "It's never the time, is it?" she snarled and stomped on Don's foot. After emitting a strangled noise, he grabs his foot while Eva walks away. I chuckle and Don turns around

Don: "Hey!" He notices me and Koji looking at him. I grin and Koji has a surprised look.

Adam: "I will check what's bothering her" I get to where Eva is "At least you can beat him up and the worst he can do is to just shout at you" she looks away from me

Eva: "Shut up... I'm not in the mood..." I sigh

Adam: "You really want to prove him your worth? Fine, I guess... huh? What's he doing?"

Eva: "What? What's who...?" she turns around and sees Rick losing control of the star racer, heading straight for the pillars in the middle of the pound

Adam: "He's going for a crash course!" At the last second, Rick gets the Arrow away from the pillars. He does a barrel roll and then brings the Arrow back to the ground. Me and Eva look at each other and nod

'Something is not right with Rick, it's not his style being all risky'

Rick gets Arrow II back to hanger, waiting for Rick to get out. He soon does and everybody beside me and Eva starts applauding him.

Jordan: "Hey! Great ride Rick!" Rick jumps down

Rick: "Thanks guys. I'm just gonna go up to my room and get some rest before the race" Rick walks away towards the stairs

Eva: "Rick, wait up..." she gets near the stairs, but Rick ignores her. She stops, looking uncertain

Jordan: "Man" he turns to Stan and Koji "I'm so glad Rick's back. It's really great to have a real pro behind the controls again" Stan and Koji glance at me and Eva and later snicker "What?" he turns around

Adam: "Learn to read the room, Wilde" Eva shrugs coolly, scoffs and walks up the stairs

Jordan: "Oh, come on, Molly, you know what I mean. You're good and all but this is Rick!" Eva ignores him and enters the office. Jordan turns to me "Will you talk to her?" I glance at him, irritated

Adam: "You've made your bed and you must lie in it" I follow Eva's lead, wanting to take a nap "Man, hope it's nothing serious with Rick" I enter my room and lie on my bed, taking the sun medallion in my hands, fidgeting it in my fingers "What would you say, mom? Dad? Should I check what's wrong or just shrug it off"

I stare at the ceiling for a while, until I hear a bang coming from Rick's room. I stand up and open the door, just in time to see Eva storming from Rick's room. She notices me, grabs my arm and closes the door behind her

Eva: "We need to talk"

Adam: "About Rick? Eva, I know that something is wrong with him, but if you try to convince others, they would just say you're jealous. You saw Jordan" Eva growls

Eva: "That gunboy. He's really playing on my nerves. And I don't care about piloting. Something can happen to him... just like"

Adam: "No, we're not playing that song. Your mom was the best and I doubt she did a mistake" Eva looks around, spotting a signed poster of her mother

Eva: "How did you get that?"

Adam: "I got it that fucking day... right before the finals my aunt somehow got us to the garage and your mom signed it for me... Eva, if you want we can try, but I tell you, no one would believe us"

Eva: "It doesn't hurt to try. Come on!" She leaves my room as I get up, getting my boots on. Eva pokes her head back inside "Today, slowpoke!" I smile and shake my head

'I really regret teaching her how to fight and use a spanner. It turned her into a tomboy...'

I follow Eva back down. We stop at the Arrow II, where Jordan was polishing the glass of the turret, Stan was welding something and Koji was checking all Arrow's systems

Eva: "Hey, Jordan, can I ask you something?"

Jordan: "Sure"

Eva: "Did you think there was anything wrong with Rick this afternoon? Did he seem off?"

Jordan: "Well, at first I was worried, but then I thought, 'hey this is Rick!' Face it, Molly, Rick gave us a great flying lesson today!"

Eva: "Whatever" I get to Stan while Koji walks past Eva

Eva: "Hey, Koji. Did it seem normal for Rick... to be taking risks like he was?" Stan shared a glance with Koji as they both looked at me. I shrug. Koji sighs and pushes his glasses up

Koji: "Could you be jealous of Rick, Molly?"

Eva: "No! It's not that, I just..." Door opens and Don Wei enters the hanger

Don: "Leave Koji alone, Molly. He needs to get ready for the race"

Eva: "All you care about is the race!"

Don: "That's right" he passes her, sounding like that was obvious. Eva gets upset, gets on her rocket seat, starts the CD player I got her on her 12th birthday, it was pink with a silly cyclop like alien, and then storms out of the hanger, not giving me a chance to stop her. I growl

Adam: "She did it again... You could've at least listen to what she have to say, guys"

Jordan: "She's just jealous 'cause Rick's back, don't worry Adam"

Adam: "Really now? I heard screams coming from Rick's room. Something is really wrong with him. Not physical, but mentally"

Jordan: "Not you too" he sighs "This is Rick! Nothing can take him down!"

Adam: "You know, people said something like that about Maya" Don jolted as I try not to smirk

'You hurt her, I hurt you. I don't need to beat you up to make you suffer'

Jordan: "Maya? Who's she? What's she got to do with Rick?"

Adam: "Really? I understand not knowing about any other star racer, but not knowing about Great Maya? Jordan, did you live under the rock for five years after your birth? Maya was the greatest Star racer on all Earth. She was the only one to win all three league championships. Just natural born skill and talent. Sadly, ten years ago, she was racing in an interplanetary race and crashed. She died. What's to say that something hasn't happened to Rick? Being good doesn't make you invincible"

Jordan: "Whatever" he shrugs

Adam: "You should know that better than anyone, boss" I start walking up the stairs and look Don straight in the eyes "After all, she was your wife" Don gets shocked

Don: "How did you...?"

Adam: "Because I was there when it happened. She even signed me a poster right before her final race. I put two and two together" I close the door behind me, as Don was observing me all the way up

'He wants to be a jerk for Eva? Then he deserves every ounce of pain I give him' I get into ma room and looked at Maya's poster

Adam: "How in the world he couldn't recognize her? You two look alike. I swear, I don't want to get him down, but I won't stand him treating Eva like that" I growl before cashing at my bed "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if you quit that race, Maya. I know Eva for ten years, she always spoke highly about you and Don. Saying how her mommy 'was best in the world' and her daddy is 'the best race manager on Earth'. Sometimes I envy her, and sometimes I pity her. Heh, it was nice talking to you, even if you're just a piece of paper. I guess when I visit my parents I will visit you too, Maya. Then my phone rings, I get it on and see it's Don calling

Don: "Adam, where are you? Race is starting, get to the control room as soon as possible"

Adam: "Be right there, boss" I hang up and get my boots on and get on my way, but before I took the last glance at the poster, on which Maya was slightly smiling at me. I rub my eyes and look again, only to see it returned to normal "Guess all that milk I drink yesterday made me see thing" I close the door, not knowing that the poster started smiling again

*timeskip*

Judge: "For the third round of pre-selection, I call forth the Earth team!" Rick gets the arrow into the middle of the arena

Jordan: "The dream team is back! Hah! By popular demand!" I look at Koji's display, seeing Rick's stats

Adam: "So you decided to listen to Molly, huh?"

Don: "We need to be sure he is alright"

Judge: "And representing the Mong people, Ceres!" Ceres gets into the arena in a weird looking ship

Jordan: "How could a thing like that fly?" Stan put's Ceres' ship on his monitor

Stan: "Well, normally it shouldn't. But it uses some unknown form of planetary magnetism"

Adam: "Meaning he can control both Arrow II and your lasers, Jordan. Be careful, Rick"

Rick: "I won't be scared of some stick man. You better not be too, Jordan"

Jordan: "I'm alright, Rick" Both star racers turn to the gate. Soon it falls and the race starts. After the first corner, Rick gets Arrow on the lead

Ceres: "Humans! Your hour of judgement has come! "he activates some gold magnetic tube around his ship "Something to shake you up a bit" he sends it at Arrow II, but thankfully Rick dodges in time, making the attack hit the overpass, cutting one end of it

Jordan: "Whoa! What was that?"

Adam: "Plasma attack. It can cut Arrow II in half, better be careful" They enter the tunnel and Jordan starts shooting at Ceres

Rick: "Jordan! See if you can hold him off!"

Jordan: "Watch me!" he continues to shoot at Ceres "Take that, stick man!" Ceres concentrates all the shots fired by Jordan around him

Ceres: "Your attacks are pitiful!" he sends the shots back to the sender, some of them connect, making the front of Arrow II to drag on the water. Rick pulls up and stabilizes the machine. After that Rick misses another pillar by milliseconds, just like in the morning

Jordan: "Go, Rick! Just like on the test track! The Thunderbolt Zigzag!" Rick scratches Arrow underside on some small pillar, later crashing around a wall and another pillar

Adam: "Tsk. We told you there was something wrong with him!" Don growls

Don: "Rick, would you stop playing around with this guy?! He's dangerous!"

Koji: "He can't hear you, sir. He's TKO'd. His nervous system is completely shot"

Don: "Don't be ridiculous! He was in perfect shape this morning!"

Adam: "He was not... I told you he was not okay, MOLLY told you he was not okay. If only someone would listened to us, we could've avoided this situation" I look at the monitor to see Ceres shooting at Rick and Jordan, as Arrow drags its front on the water

Ceres: "How can you imagine, even for a second, that you are worthy of the ultimate prize? Humans. Crogs. Nourasians. They are all the same. A few thousand years of existence, and you think you are important" he shoots forward

Jordan: "Rick! What's going on?!"

Rick: "... Everything is fine... I just need to... rest...

'Eva, whenever you are, you're needed ASAP!'

I turn back to the monitor, only to see... Eva jumping on Arrow's turret, before grabbing both barrels

Don: "What does she think she's doing?!"

Adam: "She's going to save Rick" I smile "Jordan, turret inside, let Molly get to Rick"

Jordan: "Right!" turret hides inside of Arrow and soon we can hear Eva on the radio

Eva: "Rick? He must have been knocked out"

Adam: "Star, you're there?"

Eva: "Adam! Rick is out cold! I can't do- huh? Not good!" I observe as Arrow II flies right at the pillar. Eva somehow make the Arrow dodge it, waking up Rick in the process

Rick: "Little mouse... What're you doing here...?"

Eva: "I'm here to help you. Can you control the pedals?"

Rick: "I think so..." Soon Arrow II gets under control, signaling Eva and Rick worked out their cooperation. Ceres pulls back to fly behind them

Ceres: "You humans are pathetic. You aren't worth my time"

Eva: "Then get lost!" Ceres rises something like a flute to his mouth

Ceres: "The Mong are the last of the ancient people, the oldest race in the galaxy, and I am the last of the Mong. Before you are defeated, I will give you the greatest gift of all... a look at the world of the Mongs" he plays the flute

Rick: ""Little mouse? ...Molly? Little mouse, wake up"

Adam: "Rick, does she have her CD Player with her?"

Rick: "Yeah..."

Adam: "Press the eye of it, now!" Rick did as I asked and I could hear a music blasting from it "Molly! Star! You're awake?"

Eva: "AH!'' That was enough confirmation for me, she turns the Arrow in time to miss a rock that shoots out of the ground. Ceres cries in pain and holds his head before crashing into the wall and exploding. Arrow II crosses the finish line. Eva turns off her CD Player

Rick: "Well done, Little Mouse. I always wanted a copilot. Adam, can we do something about it, hehe?"

Eva: "Any time, Rick"

Adam: "I will see what we can do, heh"

Eva: "Rick? Guys, he passed out again. Get the medics!"

*timeskip*

Me, Eva, Jordan and Don are in hospital, overlooking Rick's checkup as a machine examined him

Jordan: "We're with you, Rick"

Eva: "Do you think he'll be okay?" she whispers quietly to me

Adam: "You want an honest answer?" she nods "No. He will live, but not without any consequences"

Eva: "You think...?" I nod

Adam: "That could be the end of his career..." Rick and Don later enter the doctor's room, while me, Eva and Jordan are waiting outside. Eva leaning on the wall opposite of me, Jordan is pacing around while I flick my medallion open and close

'Good thing he didn't end up like Maya... but racing was his sense of life, his everything... Please, let him be okay'

I eavesdrop their conversation

Doctor: "Your central nervous system is damaged. When you encounter moments of violent stress, you lose control of your nervous system. You can never race again" Color from my face drops to white

Don: "What? Surely there is something you can do!"

Doctor: "There are some illnesses we can't cure. To stay alive he must never get into a star racer again. Ever"

Rick: "That's impossible! I can't be sick" Me, Jordan and Eva get the curtains and enter the room only to see Rick holding Doctor by the throat. I get forward, trying to help Don

Don: "Rick! Let him go!"

Rick: "Don't you understand? Racing is my whole life!" his hands starts shaking, letting Doctor free. He walks backwards and Jordan tries him stand, but Rick shoves him aside

Jordan: "Rick, it's..."

Rick: "No!" he gets his hand down "Just leave me alone..." We all look concerned for him. He turns around and exits the room

Eva: "Rick! Wai-" I put a hand on her shoulder and shake my head

Don: ""Let him be. He needs some time alone. We'll talk in the morning, Molly. ...You were...very brave today" he leaves the room too

Adam: "This is the end... "

*timeskip*

After returning to our hangar, me, Koji and Stan started working on repairing Arrow II. We still had some minor armor repairs, but I told them to call it a day and I will work on it overnight. Currently I'm repairing some a hole on one of the reactor's armor when I hear someone walking down the stairs

???: "Adam, are you here?"

Adam: "Yeah" I stop working and put the welder down "What're you doing up Eva, you've a race..." I check the time "today"

Eva: "I couldn't, and I heard you working so I thought I will keep you a company" She gets near me, in her bra and boxers, making me blush

Adam: "E-Eva, you should... cover yourself. You will catch a cold"

Eva: "Huh?" she looks down "You already saw me like that, back in our dorm" I throw her my hoodie

Adam: "Yeah, but if you catch a cold, Don will put me in the cockpit. And let's say I'm not a fan" she chuckles and puts the hoodie on

Eva: "For how long are you working on her?"

Adam: "Six-seven hours. I told Stan and Koji to go to sleep"

Eva: "Maybe give yourself a break, huh?" she smiles "Come on, let's watch stars like we did in school"

Adam: "I guess a little brake won't hurt" We walked outside and sit on the grass

Eva: "Remember our story?"

Adam" How could I forget? I was telling it to you almost every night until you turned ten" Eva blushes

Eva: "Can you... tell it now?"

Adam: "Sure. I just wonder if... oh yeah, I can see it. Maya's star. That's what we named it, because it shines the light in the form of a crescent moon, same as a tattoo on your mom's cheek. One upon a time, there was a queen, she was the bravest warrior in her entire kingdom. Kings of other kingdoms were afraid of her, knowing better not to get on her bad side. Given all her quirks, she had one weakness, she had no clue how to rule a kingdom. The Queen then decided 'Whoever beats me not using strength, but with flair, will win my hand and will rule our Kingdom by my side!' Many brave warriors tried, but Queen bested them all. Until one man showed up, different from his predecessors, he was wearing no armor and was welding no sword. The Queen took a pity on him... and it was her mistake. Thinking the man was crazy, she turned her back to him, letting him put a dagger near her throat 'Seems like I bested you, Queen' Queen tried some more before giving up and smiling 'So it will be' The pair soon got married and fell in love with each other. The Queen adored her King for his prudence and carrying personality while King adored his Queen for her beauty and bravery. And where is love, soon comes... children. The Queen gave birth to a beautiful little girl, her hair black like her father and her eyes red like her mother 'She is beautiful, dear' said the King 'How do we name her?' he asked

Eva: "Eva, they named her Eva, like me" I chuckle

Adam: "Originally I was planning to name her 'Alice' or 'Catherine' but you wanted to be the princess in this story" I smirk at her

Eva: "I was six!"

Adam: "And? You insisted to name the princess 'Eva' till I stopped telling you this story"

Eva: "Just shut up and continue the story"

Adam: "As you wish, 'Princess Eva'" I bow mockingly, earning a slap on the back from Eva "'Eva' said the Queen 'A beautiful name for a beautiful girl' and so the life of the royal family was quiet. Until one day a Kingdom from far land declared war on Queen's lands. As usual, the Queen insisted on leading her armies to victory, and even pleads from her husband went to nothing 'My Queen, please! You can't!' pleaded King 'I'm sorry, my King, this is my duty as a Queen of this Kingdom. Don't fret, I will come back to you and to our daughter' she came back, but on the edge of death. Her last words were addressed to her then four year old daughter...

Eva: "'Whenever you will be, my little star, I will always watch over you... from high above...' I-I sometimes hate this story... but it's also so real" I get my handkerchief and wipe her tears

Adam: "All because one day we noticed that one star, and you were still fresh in Stern. I tried to help you open up, but you stayed quiet for two weeks, even when we got the same dorm. Only after I told you that people who died became stars you started talking with me. We spent some nights looking at the stars until we spotted the one we named after your mom. When you told me what happened to you, I got the idea for this story. So yeah, it's real. I tried to cheer you up by letting you know that your mom is still here, and is watching you. I hope you are-" I was cut off by a quiet snore. I look at my right to see Eva leaning on my shoulder and sleeping soundly "Heh, like in old times" I tried to get up, but Eva won't let me "Star, I have some more work to do, let me go

Eva: "...no... Adam, stay with me..."

Adam: "Why are you so clingy? Come on Eva, let go"

Eva : "I wuve u Afam..."

Adam: "What? Eva, you're sleep talking" I somehow get free and pick her up. After getting her to her room I tugged her under sheets and smiled at her "Goodnight, Princess Eva '' I closed the door and went back to work. When I get on the stairs, I notice a golden glow coming from the front of the Arrow "Weird. I swear I turned off that welder" I got to the source, but what stood before me, shocked me completely, like I saw a ghost, and in a matter, I did. Before me stood women who I would recognize anywhere... Maya Wei "Okay, I need to go to sleep, I'm seeing things, first your poster and now this" she smiled slightly

Maya: "I guess this is a bit confusing"

Adam: "A bit is a small word. Last time I checked you died ten years ago"

Maya: "I know"

Adam: "So, you're like a ghost, spirit or a demon?"

Maya: "A spirit would fit the best"

Adam: "Okay, this just got too creepy for me. Yup, freak scale in the red" I look at her "You sure I didn't fall asleep?" she nods "Okay, so my name is..."

Maya: "Adam, Adam Ortin. I remember you, and I also know a lot about you, Adam"

Adam: "Like?"

Maya: "Hmm. Like your little crush on my daughter" I blush

Adam: "Okay, how in the..."

Maya: "Stars. What you told Eva, it's true. I've been looking after her and Don since the day of my death"

Adam: "Oh, so... can I beat his ass for what he did or not?" Maya smiled

Maya: "You're Hubert's son, that's for sure. I have to go now Adam. It's been nice talking to you... Continue to take care of Eva... I hope that we meet in your dreams again" She starts walking toward the light "Goodbye, Adam" her body disappears as I get back to work

*timeskip*

After Stan woke up he said I should refresh myself and grab something to eat. And so I did, after the shower I got to the kitchen and started cooking breakfast, scrambled eggs, bacon and a cup of coffee. Then Eva enters the kitchen

Eva: "Hey, Adam. What're you cooking?"

Adam: "Morning Star. Breakfast"

Eva: "So?"

Adam: "Scrambled eggs, bacon and a cup of coffee" Eva grabbed a box of juice while I get my breakfast on a plate, get to the table and start eating "You know, Star, I don't know how, but I had a vision yesterday after I get you to your room"

Eva: "Huh?"

Adam: "I don't know if I'm not overworking myself or something, but... I saw your mom" Eva looks at me strangely

Eva: "Do I want to know?"

Adam: "Dunno, do you? We just talked for a while" I look at Eva who has a troubled face "Something happened?"

Eva: "You see, I also saw my mom..."

Adam: "Okay, so let me start. After getting back to the hanger, I saw some light coming from Arrow II. I thought that I didn't turn off the welder, but when I got there... your mom was standing there. We talked for a while and later she disappeared. What about you?"

Eva: "I... I also saw my mom in front of the Arrow II, she said I fly a beautiful ship... S-she reached out to me a-and when I was about to hug her, she broke into little balls of light"

Adam: "Eva..."

Eva: "Adam... do you really think that we talked to her? That she is really looking after me like in our story?" I close my eyes and take a deep breath

Adam: "There is a chance, but I don't think spirits can communicate with living people, they look after us, but can't talk to us" We finish our drinks and my breakfast and then we walk down where Stan and Koji were getting Arrow II some finishing touches and Don was observing them work. Don looks over his shoulder and turns to us

Don: "Adam, go get some sleep. You did a good job overnight. I have to talk with Molly" I lean on right reactor, observing them talk "Young lady, it's time you and I had a little talk"

Eva: "Okay... But where's Rick?"

Don: "He's not here"

Eva: "Not here? Where is he?"

Don: "He didn't said anything"

Eva: "But-"

Don: "The best thing you can do for him now, Molly, is to be worthy of the place he's given you"

Eva: "I... I'm taking his place? Not Adam?"

Adam: "I refused. I will skin myself alive before you get me into that thing again. Like Stan said, us mechanics were never meant to fly"

Stan: "That's right"

Don: "You should know that I never trusted you to pilot the Arrow 2. You have shown skill but have repeatedly refused to do as you're told"

Eva: "But I can explain!"

Don: "This is no way to win a competition, young lady. You will stay in line or I promise you this will be the end of racing... for you...and for us" Eva growls and leaves the hanger. Don also gets to his office, leaving me, Stan and Koji with our star racer

Adam: "Well, that's my sign to hit the hay. If anything, wake me up before the race" I get up the stairs, enter my room and finally get some sleep

*Eva POV*

I get near one tree and lean against it

???: "Always Mr. Cheerful" I know it's Jordan, I'm still a little angry at him, but that talk with Satis and later with Adam made me calm down

Eva: "He's such a... Whatever. I guess winning is not enough" I slam my fist against the tree and starts walking away, with Jordan following me

Jordan: "Uh, listen. About yesterday. I was so happy to see Rick, I know I let you down. Are you angry with me?"

'Really?'

Eva: "Yeah, I'm angry!" I get some distance from him as he stops

Jordan: "Well, are you?"

'Time to bring it home'

Eva: "Relax, I'm kidding" he sighs as we get to the edge "So he just left? Did he say where he was going?"

Jordan: "No. He just wants to be left alone for a bit, I guess. This is Rick we're talking about. He'll bounce back"

'Like he did from the first race?

Eva: "Hhmm..."

???: "Mr. Jordan'' we turn around to see a robot "You've won a free pass to the new video arcade, Paradice City! Congratulations!" Confetti spits out in the air from the robot's head "Here's your free pass" Platform rises up out of the robot's head with a white ball on it. Jordan kneels down and takes it

Jordan: "Is this some kind of joke? I never win anything"

Robot: "Follow me and I will take you to the arcade"

'It smells fishy. What'd Adam do?'

Eva: "Jordan, I don't know about this..."

Jordan: "Oh come on, Molly, what could possibly be wrong with an arcade?"

'Famous last words...' I follow him

*Adam POV*

After waking up, doing laundry and spreading them out the window I go take the second shower a day and get some fresh clothes from my bag. After that was done I started doing some stretches. I open the doors and grab the door frame, doing some pull ups until I hear guns going off. I instantly sprinted down to where Arrow II is, only to see it had come to life and was shooting at the wall of the hangar. Stan is crouching behind a crate, hiding from the bullets.

Adam: "What the hell is going on here?!" Don enters the room with the same type of question

Don: "What's going on here?!"

Adam: "Someone hacked into Arrow II! Stan! Hang on!"

Stan: "Thanks for the concerns, guys, but I kinda loosing my shield!"

'Dammit, it's a matter of seconds before Arrow shoots through the crate'

Adam: "Koji, you got something?!"

Koji: "A virus, and a big one!"

Then the turret turns to me and Don and we jump the opposite direction to take cover

Adam: "Koji!"

Then the left reactor sparks and explodes

Adam: "*ekhm, ekhm* Everyone good?!"

Stan: "I live!"

Koji: "I'm good too"

Adam: "Boss?"

Don: "I'm... okay. What was that?!"

Koji: "We've been hacked, sir" Us three get the fire extinguisher and proceed to put the fire down

Don: "How's the Arrow?"

Koji: "I guess we're lucky I was able to shut off that hacker at the last moment. We still have one reactor" Don growls and put a small fire down. I noticed Eva and Jordan running towards the pit

Eva: "The pit's on fire!" they enter our hangar "What happened?"

Stan: "Just in time for clean up. You missed all the fun"

Eva: "Adam, what happened? Where is... left... engine?"

Adam: "We got hacked and in the end the left reactor exploded" I turn to them "Maybe you two can explain to us how in the world it happened, huh?" Then we hear a new robotic voice

???: "Your team is so disappointing. They got the lowest score, ever"

Eva: "Huh? Over there!" she points to Koji's tablet, where a face of brightly colored cat-like alien appears on it

???: "And your security system is pathetic. A twelve year old could crack it-blindfolded! I should know. I'll be twelve next week!"

Eva and Jordan: "Paradice" Me and Don looked at them

Don: "What?" the pilot-gunner duo laughs nervously

Adam: "What am I gonna do with you two..."

Don: "If I get my hands on that cat, I'll take all nine of its lives"

Koji: "How is she getting in? This computer is not even connected to the network"

Stan: ""Hey, my wrench! I was wondering where I'd left it" he points to a tool on the floor behind Paradice

Adam: "So, high frequency short range connection? That means she must be here" we looked at the doors behind us. Me and Stan open them and inside there is Paradice. She looks up at us, get to her feet and takes a step back

Eva: "Yeah, sure. Anything else?"

Paradice: "No. That'll be all"

Don: "Get her!"

Stan, Koji and Jordan rush forward, trying to catch her. She just jumps over them nimbly and runs out of the door, jumping over don towards the Arrow, right at me as I swing a piece of wood at her. I catch her leg, making her roll a little, but she just shrugs it off and runs out of the hanger.

Eva: "Paradice!" Don growls

Don: "Everyone to their post. We've lest than an hour till race time"

Koji: "Yes sir!" Me, Koji and Stan went to work on Arrow's reactor

Adam: "Stan, we have some parts from Arrow I, maybe we can use them"

Stan: "Good thinking. Koji, check the systems, me and Adam will search for parts" Koji nods. Me and Stan get out of the hangar towards Arrow I remains and gets the parts ready to 'transplant' "That should be all"

Adam: "Yeah, let's go to work" We dismantled the remains of the left reactor and slowly started putting everything together. Soon it's started resembling a star racer engine. Koji went to check the ECU and the map for boost, I got on top, regulating power management while Stan stayed down, regulating thrusters. Then we hear Don screaming and we stopped working to look at the commotion

Don: "A game arcade! Your indiscretion almost cost us our last star-racer. Have you already forgotten my promise?"

Jordan: "But sir, I-"

Eva: "I apologize, sir. Won't happen again"

Don: "Well, since I can see that you realize your mistake and won't repeat it, I guess you should just get ready for the race" he walks away

Jordan: "It was my fault this happened. Thanks for taking the heat, Molly" Eva shrugs

Eva: "What are partners for?"

Adam: "I suspect Jordan would do something like this, but you, Molls?"

Eva: "Hey! I was bored and you went to sleep!"

Adam: "You could've gone take a nap too, y'know?"

Eva: "Not everyone can sleep eighteen hours a day"

Jordan: "Geez, couples problems. I will never understand all this lovey-dovey stuff..." me and Eva blushed

Adan and Eva: "We're not a couple!"

Stan: "Really now? I thought that you two are a thing" I throw a cloth at him

Adam: "Shut up Stan!" I finish adjusting the bolts "Okay, I'm done here. How is the situation down there, Stan? Koji?"

Stan: "We only have to install armor and we're free to go"

Koji: "Map is uploaded. Engine stats in norms"

Adam: "Then let's get the armor on and see how it's looks like

*timeskip*

After finishing our work, us three went to the control room while Eva and Jordan got to the arena. Don was not pleased with how Arrow II looks like

Don: "That ship looks awful!"

Stan: "Beauty is more than paint, sir. She flies"

Don: "We'll see"

Adam: "You try to build a new reactor only having scrap from Arrow I. It's a miracle she flies" I get on my seat and put my engine #1 statistics "So far so good, temps and pressures in check"

Then, Paradice's ship comes out. It looks like a cathead with a screen in the front displaying a cartoon face. It's grinning and the ship was bobbing up and down as it's dancing.

Jordan: "I'm gonna kill that cat" he growls

Eva: "Easy Jordan" she says with a dangerous note in her voice "That's against the rules. We need to make it look like an accident"

Jordan: "You and Adam spend too much time together. And yet you still denies you're not a couple"

Eva: "Because we're not! We are just...eh... good friends!"

Adam: "That's right! Now, let's kill the cat. Just, I don't know, impale her on a spike or block her in a gate?"

Eva: "That's one of the options"

Paradice: "Meow. It takes a lot of courage to fly a wreck like that. But don't expect me to go easy on you, big girl"

Eva: "My name is Molly. And this is no longer one of your games, Paradice. This is for real"

Paradice: "You'll never learn! I'll never let you get the Ultimate Prize!"

Eva: "Uh?"

Don: "The Ultimate Prize?"

Adam: "What's that?"

Don: "I don't know"

'Whatever it is, it must be worth it'

Judge: "Today's race will include a special rule. Arena race!"

The gong sounds around the arena and soon gates drops and the ships shot forward. They enter the tunnel and we lost visual

Don: "What's going on?!"

Adam: "We lost them. Koji, got something?"

Koji: "Working on it"

After a while we regain visual

Stan: "We have visual now"

Don: "Molly, can you hear me? Do you copy?" I lean backwards on my chair

Adam: "Boss, relax, if she can hear you, she'll answer you. If she doesn't... she will know what to do"

Don: "Now it's not the time, Adam"

Adam: "Quite the opposite, boss. Let the girl show what she is made of"

Koji: "Guys, pay attention!" We turn back to the screen to see Paradice popping out of nowhere and flying right at Eva and Jordan. Arrow gets out of the way just in time to avoid collision. Then a mass of missiles flies from the cat ears of the ship and locks onto Arrow. Jordan fires and hits some of them. Eva flies the ship up in one of the tunnels surrounding the area, making missiles hit the sides. Soon they came out into another arena

Don: "Molly, this race is not a-"

Koji: "She can't hear you, sir. Communications are scrambled"

Don: "Then how can I give her my orders?"

Adam: "You just can't. You have to trust her like you trust us" Don glared at me "No matter how much you glare at me, boss, you know Molly can do it without anyone telling her what to do" I look back at the monitor to see Eva gets Arrow into the passage between the tunnels and the arena. Missiles shot by Paradice hit the wall while Eva hides between two of the openings and turns off the Arrow. Paradice starts to search for her, her ship glancing around. She spots them and fires missiles from her cannons. They fly at the opening next to the Arrow. Eva turns it on and flies away the opposite direction. However, Arrow gets hit every time it passes the opening. Soon Eva speeds up and gets ahead of the bullets

Don: "Are the repairs still holding?" Koji types furiously, eyes glued to a screen showing Arrow's stats

Koji: "For the moment, yes. Ask me again in five minutes"

Adam: "You can do it, Star. I believe"

Paradice cannons are slowly catching up to the Arrow again. Eva stops for a while, letting cannons to catch up. A dust rises up and Eva stops the Arrow again. After a while she turns it on again and flies out into the open quickly, taking Paradice by surprise as Jordan fires at her. Laser hits Paradice ship, making the ship's face turn to furious, before firing a lot of missiles, hitting the left reactor

Stan: "Repairs aren't holding! The left reactor's out!"

Don: "Molly, Jordan, abandon ship!"

Koji: "You know they can't hear you, sir"

Don: "Molly" he growled

Adam: "Come on Star! You can do it! There's a way out of there, you're a smart girl, you will find it!"

Don: "It's over, Adam. She failed"

Adam: "Nope!"

Don: "Huh?" he looks up at me and I point to the screen.

On it Eva flies the Arrow right at the same pipe they went to get here. They enter the tunnel just a second before any of Paradice's missiles could hit them. We lost transmission again. All we could hear was silence and a gulp from Don. I hold my thumbs, praying she made it only to soon see the Arrow flying towards the finish line

Adam: "Haha! She did it! Hahaha! She did it! We won!"

Koji: "They did it!" him and Koji jumps to their feet and high fives with both hands

Stan: "They're so great!" Koji's face falls

Koji: "Now we have to do the repairs all over again" Stan puts an arm around Koji's shoulder

Stan: "What else would we do? We're mechanics" I grab both their shoulders

Adam: "Amen to that. Please, don't let Don get me to pilot again, I beg you two" They look at me and smile

Stan: "You're with us, Adam. No way we'll let you fly" he ruffle my hair

Adam: "Thanks"

*timeskip*

Us three repair the left reactor... again, while waiting for any news from Don

Adam: "I hope it will hold now... You really give her a beating, Star. Too bad you didn't killed that annoying cat..." then we hear the door open and look up, seeing Don gripping a rail of a balcony tightly

Eva: "Is it true about the Ultimate Prize? Is it really any wish, any dream?" Don stares at her for a moment, shaking slightly

Don: "I guess you'll just have to win the Great Race of Oban to know" he turns and leaves the hanger. Eva clenches her fists and growls

Jordan: "What's this all about?" I look worried at Eva before resuming doing the repairs. She looks at me with her eyes full of determination

'That look, that damn look' *sigh 'Whatever you're planning Eva, you better come clean before me'

A/N: Combo chapter! Chapter 5/25. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Next time we will have the Toros battle (Crog). Feel free to comment and vote! Stay safe!

Punkie out!

Oban Star Racers belongs to Savin Yeatman-Eiffel

OCs belongs to me